This article discusses how four direct observational principles have contributed to the development of assessment and tutoring strategies for individuals in English and Maori language reading tutoring programs. The assessment strategies generated from observations of reader and tutor interaction have provided strong support for learning to read in…

Explores the problems of teaching art to preadolescents by taking into account the experiences and reflections of the teachers, students, and the researcher. Uses cross-site analysis and categorizes the problems into three groups: (1) contradictions in student behaviors; (2) instructional demands; and (3) institutional contingencies. Includes…

Differences in social behavior of middle-class kindergartners with and without previous day care experience were compared through classroom observations and teacher ratings during the second semester of kindergarten. (BB)

Describes a two-year Canadian project devoted to the development and formative evaluation of a graduated series of four graphics-based programing environments for young children, called pre-Logo Microworlds. Field tests of software and instructional materials are described, and classroom observations and teacher and student interviews are…

Describes a case study that was designed to discover how seventh-grade students felt about writing when composed using a word processing program compared to using pen and paper. Student and teacher interviews are discussed, classroom observations are reported, and factors students found important to enjoyment of writing assignments are described.…

A beverage-server intervention project at two West Coast Navy bases that attempted to reduce levels of alcoholic intoxication via policy changes and server training is described. Data obtained via interviews and structured observations of 1,511 club customers indicate methodological bias and self-selection effects. Bias adjustments were performed…

Studies the role of education and its effect on the economic well-being of Mexican Americans in the border city of Laredo (Texas). Finds that while barrio residents are profoundly impressed with the importance of education, Mexican American earnings fail to keep pace with educational attainment. (AF)

Reports the effectiveness of Thailand's Functional Literacy and Family Life Planning project in the village of Nonglungka, based upon several months of observation by the author. Concludes that, although literacy skills were improved, the participants did not apply this knowledge to their daily lives. Makes suggestions for improvement of the…

Asserts that ethnography's development out of anthropology left it tainted with biases from colonialism and imperialism. Discusses several contemporary approaches, including critical ethnography, really useful knowledge, and action research. Suggests further incorporation of postmodernist ideas into the field of ethnography. (MJP)

Presents five integrated mathematics and science lessons in which students investigate the characteristics, behavior, lifecycles, and motion of mealworms and the feasibility of raising mealworms for profit. Purpose, time, materials needed, procedures, and extensions for each activity are provided. (MDH)

This study investigated the relationship between behaviors of 10 preservice student teachers completing their student teaching in the area of emotional disturbed/behavior disorders and ratings of their teaching effectiveness by observers. The highest obtained correlation was between the amount of off-task student time observed in the classroom and…

The Meyerhoff Program enhances the success of talented African American science and engineering by focusing on knowledge and skills, motivation and support, monitoring and advising, and academic and social integration. Outcome data show that Meyerhoff students (n=69) achieved GPAs significantly higher than a comparison sample. (Author/SYB)

Conversations with 19 predominantly Chicano middle-school students labeled "at risk" revealed that students viewed their at-risk status as a source of both shame and unity, thereby reproducing the category on one hand and producing a counterculture to adult world views on the other. A communication perspective on student success offers…

A descriptive analysis of disruptive behavior was generated from filmed observations before and after self-management training with 2 junior high students, ages 13-14, with serious emotional disturbance. Self-management training included modeling, rehearsal, and rehearsal in the apparent absence of supervision. Conditions associated with problem…

Observations of second- and third-grade teachers who participated in a staff development program illustrate teachers' difficulties with getting low achievers to focus on and understand the process of being strategic and with using literacy tasks to teach strategy. (BB)